1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates freeze-resistant wall hydrants that provide an outdoor faucet from indoor plumbing and the like, and more particularly to a leak-containing sheath for such freeze-resistant hydrants just in case of freezing in any event, and the consequent bursting and leaks which follow. Additional aspects and objects of the invention will be apparent in connection with the discussion further below of preferred embodiments and examples.
2. Prior Art
Freeze-resistant hydrants are known, including what is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,805xe2x80x94Chrysler, entitled xe2x80x9cFrost-resistant Hydrant.xe2x80x9d The Chrysler hydrant is provided for mounting to an outdoor wall and providing an outdoor faucet from indoor plumbing. The hydrant 20 is called xe2x80x9cfrost-resistantxe2x80x9d because the valve stem thereof is lengthy so that the valve seat can be located deep indoors. Presumptively, any residue tapwater remaining in lengthy valve-stem chamber is free to drain out the faucet""s outlet.
Hence during freezing weather the lengthy valve-stem chamber has hopefully drained dry. The frost or frost line might likely not extend back in the long valve-stem chamber from the outdoors, as far indoors as the valve seat.
Nevertheless problems are experienced with the prior art frost-resistant hydrants. Problems most often arise, among other causes, when a garden hose or the like is left attached to faucet""s outlet. The attached garden hose might be accidentally left full with water. In which case, that will plug the frost-resistant hydrant and prevent the tapwater backed-up in the lengthy valve-stem chamber, from draining out the hydrant""s outlet. Again, the hydrant""s outlet is effectively xe2x80x9cpluggedxe2x80x9d by virtue of having connected to it a full hose. Comes the freezing weather, and the tapwater trapped in the lengthy valve-stem chamber will indeed freeze. Freezing bursts the hydrant despite its design to prevent this. A burst hydrant consequently leaks after thawing.
The leaks are virtually always indoors, not outdoors. For residential homeowners, the leaks may go undetected for quite some extended time period. The experience of one actual homeowner serviced by the inventor""s plumbing company is representative of the experience of numerous others. This actual homeowner incurred a $1,500 leak-water damage bill despite having taken the precaution to install freeze-resistant hydrants for all his outdoor hydrants.
What is needed is an improvement which addresses the shortcomings of the prior art.
It is an object of the invention to provide a back-up safety measure for frost- or freeze-resistant hydrants in cases where they are burst by freeze or frost nevertheless.
It is an alternate object of the invention that the above back-up safety measure be shaped to operatively couple with many or most of the given frost- or freeze-resistant hydrants. In other words, the invention is not a substitute for the hydrant. Rather, the invention is an enhancement to the given hydrant.
It is another object of the invention that the above back-up safety measure cost less than if not a fraction of the cost of the given hydrant, and be easy to insert in the pre-established piping of the hydrant with the indoor plumbing.
These and other aspects and objects are provided according to the invention in a combination leak-containing sheath and frost-resistant wall hydrant. The frost-resistant wall hydrant comprises a wall-penetrating conduit and an actuating member. The wallpenetrating conduit extends between an indoor inlet end and an outdoor apertured actuator end. The conduit has a wall-mounting flange affixed to it in between its outdoor and indoor ends. The conduit is also provided with a lateral outlet that discharges to the outdoors. It is also formed with an internal valve seat in between the flange and the inlet end. The actuating member comprises an elongated shaft that extends through the apertured actuator end of the conduit to terminate inside the conduit in a valving member that is movable axially relative to the inlet valve seat. The actuating member terminates outdoors in a hand-portion that allows operative actuation and hence affords the opening and closing of the valving member relative to the inlet valve seat.
Given the foregoing, the valve seat is located in a presumptively above-freezing indoor climate and spaced back from the wall flange and hence the outdoors so as to reduce the chances of freezing outdoor temperatures from freezing any water stopped behind the valve seat.
It is an aspect of the invention that the foregoing frost-free wall hydrant is combined with a leak-containing sheath. The sheath extends between spaced open ends of which one is formed with a peripheral rim and the other is formed internally with coupling structure. The sheath and open rimmed end are sized wide enough to telescope over the hydrant""s inlet end until the sheath""s rim mates against the hydrant""s flange. The sheath is axially sized such that with the rimmed end abutting the hydrant""s flange the internal coupling structure is located to couple and seal with the hydrant""s inlet end. The sheath""s rimmed end is formed with a vent for venting leakwater from the hydrant outdoors and not indoors in cases if the hydrant leaks as being burst by freezing because water got stopped in the conduit between the valve seat and outlet and failed to drain despite an open outlet.
The vent arrangement optionally comprises one or more spoke-like grooves recessed in the rim and thereby forming a water passage between the sheath""s hollow interior and the outdoors. The sheath""s coupling structure further includes terminal structure adapted for coupling to an indoor plumbing line.
The hand-portion might comprise a handle and operative actuation comprises twisting. The apertured outdoor end comprises internal thread and packing to form a leak-free operative seal with the valve shaft which is formed with corresponding external thread. On the opposite end, the valving member forms a conic plug and the valve seat forms a corresponding countersunk ring for tightly mating with the valving member. Accordingly, the conic plug has a smaller outside diameter than the conduit""s inside diameter in order to allow annular flow thereby.
The hydrant""s indoor inlet end can be arranged to terminate in an externally threaded portion and the sheath""s corresponding coupling structure would therefore include an internally threaded socket for accepting the hydrant""s externally threaded portion. Preferably, the lateral outlet forms a spigot with external thread adapted for connecting to garden hose and the like.
Additional aspects and objects of the invention will be apparent in connection with the discussion further below of preferred embodiments and examples.